Experiencing Interruptions?

Cautionary Tale

A children's TV show host, after the loss of his daughter, attempts to find solace in Bangkok after meeting the lead singer of an all-girl Thai rock band.

  • Christopher Zawadzki
    Director
  • Christopher Zawadzki
    Writer
  • Ted Limpert
    Writer
  • Christopher Zawadzki
    Producer
  • Ted Limpert
    Producer
  • Ted Limpert
    Key Cast
    "Neil Kefalas"
  • Napak Boonruang
    Key Cast
    "Cherry"
  • Matias Proietti
    Key Cast
    "Berto"
  • Steve Calalang
    Key Cast
    "Bryce"
  • Filipe Bessa
    Cinematographers
  • Christopher Zawadzki
    Cinematographers
  • Ted Limpert
    Original Music
  • Napak Boonruang
    Original Music
  • Steve Calalang
    Colorist
  • Christopher Zawadzki
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 27 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 15, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Thailand, United States
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Silent City Film Festival
    Ithaca, NY
    United States
    October 5, 2023
    World Premiere
    WINNER | Best Dramatic Feature
  • Lonely Seal Int'l Film & Music Festival
    Arlington, MA
    United States
    October 7, 2023
    New England Premiere
    WINNER | Best Feature Film & Best Original Score
  • International Sound & Film Music Festival
    Samobor
    Croatia
    October 14, 2023
    European Premiere
    NOMINEE | Crystal Pine Award • Best Original Score, Feature Film
  • Antelope Valley Independent Film Festival
    Lancaster, CA
    United States
    October 14, 2023
    West Coast Premiere
    WINNER | Best Narrative Feature
  • Down East Flick Fest
    Greenville, NC
    United States
    November 16, 2023
    Southern Premiere
    WINNER | Best Musical Film
  • Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival
    Enugu
    Nigeria
    November 24, 2023
    Africa Premiere
    NOMINEE | Best Narrative Feature
Distribution Information
  • FilmHub
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Christopher Zawadzki

Having worked in the post-production industry for 10+ years for companies that include Technicolor, Criterion, Postworks, Vice and Broadway Media, Christopher Zawadzki is making his feature directorial debut with CAUTIONARY TALE, for which he is also writer, producer, editor and Co-DP.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film means the world to me. Primarily because I was able to collaborate with my close friends and family. Ted Limpert and I are cousins, and we had both hit a wall in pursuing our ideal careers. So we decided to work together on a project where we could hopefully explore (what we believed were) our most significant talents.

Ted ended up not only giving a great performance as Neil Kefalas, but also composed and performed the original score and songs. While living in Bangkok, I had become a fan of Unicorn, an all-girl band led by Napak (Dom) Boonruang. She agreed to appear in the film having never acted before, and also contributed her original music and collaborated with Ted on the film's key climatic song "If You Can't Hear Me."

Mainly because we were shooting at different intervals over four months, the production crew of the film really only consisted of myself and one other crew member on any given shoot day.

The New York section of the film allowed me to hone my camera skills (for better or worse) while a few close friends took turns shotgunning sound for me. Once we were able to finish the film in Thailand (after our Kickstarter funds came through), my good friend and talented cinematographer, Filipe Bessa, took over DP duties, and I rolled sound as I directed.

The entire film was shot with only a Canon 5D and an H4N Zoom Recorder with a few GoPro shots thrown in. Only natural or practical lighting was used. All of which made our Thailand shoot possible in true guerilla-fashion.

This film mined personal experiences from both Ted and I, and we couldn't be happier with the result, having been able to truly work for ourselves in ways that expressed the full range of our respective talents and personalities. We hope you enjoy.